Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-09-21
CHURCH COLLECTIONS
Strange Device Which Puts an End
Hutton Contributions.

A Strange Device Which Puts an End q
Hutton Contributions.
A prominent South Side church, which
numbers among its pew-holders severa
millionaircs, found lately that the contrL
button boxes were not so remuuerativt
as the wealth of the congregation should
have warranted, says the Chicago Mott
How to prevent the Heterogeneous colleo
ton OF articles which hal been found il
the boxes had become a serious question.
Nickles and cents largely prcdominated,
dimes were scarce, while quarters looked
positively monstrous IN the aggregation
Lozenges, buttons, white chips, and even
wrong combination pool-ticlIets are said
to have been dropped into the plus h-lined
baskets which the collectors passed
around each Sunday. The thing was
getting monotonous, and the pas
tor and his assistants set about
devising some means to counteract the
evil The collectors were instructed t.
keep close watch on the donations of
prominent members of the churah and
notice how generously or otherwise they
gave up" to the appeal OF the box. The
collectors soon observed that the usua.
plan of the churchgoer was to drop his OF
her mite into the basket from the half.
closed hand, held with the back turned
upward, so that it was impossible to tel
what the contribution might be. Con.
slant watching for few days soon devel
oped the fact that ladies who wore dia
monds and sealskin dropped coppers in
the contribution, and q man whose name
is tower Of strength on 1.-The board
was any thing but "high
roller" when it came to "goine
long" OF spiritual futures" The
church treasury had bagful of punched
nd N NJ mi. L. l. 4
more buttons on hand than he could use
in ten years. So new style contribution
box was invented, and it is a great suo
ces. The new idea Is q box about eighi
by 81 inches in size, attached to handle
Tor convenience in passing along a pew
This box is closed on the top by a wooder
cover. This cover for one-third of its
length IS flush with the top of the box
while Tor the remaining two thirds il il
depressed below the edge about a half
inch, thus leaving a slot between the end.
OF the cover where they meet on differen-
levels.
The contributor can not drop his money
into this box; he must place it on the de
pressed portion of the cover when pentl,
motlon OF the wrist on the part Of the col
lector slides the coin into the box through
the slot In the cover.
This scheme compels the church-coer Z,
show just what he gives in, not only t.
the collector, but also to any of his neigh
oors who may be looking that way, ane
curious eyes are generally following tn,
top OF the new tangled machine. The re
suit OF the introduction of the stextract
or mas been most surprising ami pleas
ing to the clerical excheouer. Mrs
Clearibs will not put q cent in the DO,
while Mrs Boulevard can see the amount
and the compstition for supremacy il
high-priced excellence which actuate,
those ladies in mundane things has en-.
tered into their church life, and neither
will allow the other to Guido her in tn.
matter OF Sunday contributions. Dolla r,
now are as plentiful as dimes were be
lore. The reverend gentleman who got
up the box has fortune in it IL he wouli
onlv Datant II